Will, you can bring Lord's to the office. Get yourself a garish tie, slip on a blue shirt and some light-coloured chinos. Pour yourself something fizzy (probably best if it's non-alcoholic) and eat an artisan pork pie. Then, ask your colleagues to throw champagne corks at you and to talk about how they're missing Henley this year. Stick TMS on and the illusion is complete.

Will Millard: Wish I was at Lord's and not stuck at the desk. Prediction? Eng to wrap up 3-0, 455-5 at close. Finn finds home rhythm gets 6-for.

Vic Marks
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

I am sure there will be stacks of runs round here. The pitch is like a putting green. There will be a special buzz in the Sri Lanka camp after a good final day at Durham. The difficulty will be how they take 10 wickets on here. It is not a disastrous toss to lose, though, as pitches rarely deteriorate too much here."

Image source, PA

Filling up nicely at HQ now, where it really is picture perfect. Sun shining on the sort of grass you'd be happy to have in your front room, space-age media centre rising into the blue sky like a gift from another planet. The soundtrack is an excited hum, patrons discussing when it too early to have the first champers.

BBC Weather's Helen Willetts: "It's looking pretty good. Today it's sun hat and sun cream business - we're looking at 23 or 24 degrees, high humidity, lots of sunshine and a very minute risk of a shower. There will be a lot of red faces.

"We're going to keep that humidity over the weekend. On Saturday there is the risk of showers and few more interruptions over the weekend."

Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

"However long it takes Nick Compton, he needs to have a number by his name. If he doesn't the pressure and noise will grow and grow. However he does it, he needs a score.

"He played a couple of aggressive shots at Durham - he looked more proactive. You can either look at the ball to survive or to score. He just needs to make sure he has a mindset to score. He will also need that bit of luck."

England: Alastair Cook (capt), Alex Hales, Nick Compton, Joe Root, James Vince, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, James Anderson.

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Angelo Mathews (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Perera, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Nuwan Pradeep.

Umpires: S Ravi & Rod Tucker.TV umpire: Aleem Dar; match referee: Andy Pycroft.

I'm just getting a look at the deck. It looks flatter than hour-old lager. There's a tiny hint of grass at one end, which the Sri Lanka bowlers will hope provides some early assistance. If it doesn't, then the cloudless sky suggests a long day in the dirt.

Phil Tufnell
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"There is a bit of grass on the wicket but the sun out. It should be a glorious day for batting. Alex Hales will want to convert those 80s into hundreds. Nick Compton has to go out and bat his own way, not try to be this dynamic player at number three. Do it your own way."

Sri Lanka have been forced into one change from the XI that was beaten in Durham. Milinda Siriwardana is injured, replaced by Kusal Perera, who was only added to the squad late on. Perera has an interesting story - he's only just come back from an erroneous drugs ban.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews: "Unfortunately I haven't had the luck with the tosses. We had a refreshing break after Durham but then we've worked extremely hard in the nets."

England captain Alastair Cook: "The pitch looks a good - there's not much grass on it. As always it is the first session that is crucial. We need to work hard for a good score."

On reaching 10,000 Test runs in the second Test: "It is a great milestone and a great week to be at home. Hopefully now I can contribute to a first-innings score."

Mathews calls heads, it comes down tails. A smiling Cook can't say "we'll have a bat" quickly enough. Mathews, somehow managing a smile, says he wanted to bat too. 

Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

"It is an amazing venue. There is something about this place, regardless of the opposition or the state of the series. Whether it is a county match or a university match as soon as you arrive through the Grace Gates you know you are here for something special. I still get butterflies."

Tom Fordyce
Chief sports writer at Lord's

Image source, Getty Images

"Early clouds burning away above Lord's, a cool breeze keeping the mugginess at bay. The classic HQ uniform everywhere you look: chinos, deck shoes, pale blue shirt, blazer, ties of egg and bacon stripes. Milan fashion week can rest easy."

Image source, Getty Images

But I digress. Alastair Cook has emerged into the sunshine and has been presented with a silver bat to mark his 10,000 Test runs. He'll soon shake hands with Angelo Mathews and flick the coin. Surely a bat first day.

Reece, your are indeed correct. How could we forget the Super Series? It is an innovation that has gripped not only the nation, but the cricketing world...

I'm also amazed by how many people are on the outfield on the first morning of a Test match. There must be 100 people out there - more than there are in the stands. What are they all doing? I find it hard to believe that they all need to be out there. Some are just freeloading.

Richard Hayden: Don't panic people. The Lord's Test is here, summer can officially start! It's been a long time coming!